Oliver, came back at once in the nice private car with the wire netting
over its windows, everybody from God the Father Almighty to Carrie Chapman
Catt would be highly displeased. For a moment Oliver thought of lunatic
asylums almost lovingly--they had such fine high walls and smooth green
lawns and you were so perfectly safe there from anything ever happening
that was real. Then he jumped--that must be Mrs. Severance opening the
door.
"What are we going to _do_?" he said to Ted in a fierce whisper.
Ted looked at him stupidly. "Do? When I don't know whether I'm on my feet
or my head?" he said. His drugged passiveness showed Oliver with desolating
clarity that anything that could be done would have to be done by himself.
He crept over toward the window with a wild wish that black magic were
included in a Yale curriculum--the only really sensible thing he could
think of doing would be for both of them to vanish through the wall.
"Look! Fire-escape!"
"What?"
"_Fire-escape_!"
"All right. You take it."
Oliver had been sliding the window up all the while, cursing softly and
horribly at each damnatory creak.
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